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Cummins Begins Layoffs

Last updated on Thursday, November 15, 2012

(COLUMBUS) - Some of the professional staff at Cummins were given layoff notices this week affecting the company’s corporate headquarters in Columbus for the first time since a move to trim the global workforce was announced a few weeks ago.

Jon Mills, director of external communications for the Columbus-based engine maker, told our news gathering partners at "The Republic" company employees should know the full extent of the layoffs and who is affected by mid-December. Mills says external announcements will not be made each time a reduction is made.

Cummins announced October 9 that it would trim 1,000 to 1,500 jobs by year's end from its 47,000-member worldwide workforce to cope with weaker-than-expected sales and a slowdown in the world economy. The timing of that workforce announcement coincided with a revised sales forecast of $17 billion for the year, which is $1 billion lower than what was estimated in July.

Then on October 17, the engine maker specified that about 150 workers - at least one-tenth of the total global workforce reduction - would be laid off from among its three southern Indiana plants, the Fuel Systems Plant in Columbus, the Columbus MidRange Engine Plant and the Seymour Engine plant. As part of that announcement, Cummins said it also expected 126 workers would be transferred to the MidRange Engine Plant.
Mills says cuts will not only affect manufacturing jobs, but departments such as business services, information technology, human resources, corporate communications, legal corporate responsibility and finance.

Cummins currently has about 7,700 employees in southern Indiana.

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